Choosing Wisely Canada is a national initiative to
reduce unnecessary tests and treatments in health
care using evidence-based data to support its recommendations.
Started in 2012 in the U.S., it has grown
into a global movement that seeks to empower health-care
providers and patients to make wise choices in an effort
to curb unnecessary testing and waste. This mandate is accomplished
through partnerships with professional societies
representing different specialties, medical associations
and patient organizations.

For this issue's Joint Count survey, we asked CRA members
for their thoughts on Choosing Wisely as it relates to
rheumatology. Many respondents were already familiar with
this initiative via the CRA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM),
word of mouth, and through the CRAJ and CRA emails.

When asked whether they were aware of the CRA list of
5 rheumatology recommendations to help physicians and
patients choose wisely (availabe at choosingwiselycanada.org/rheumatology/), 66% of patients responded that they
were already aware of these.

Queried as to whether they think the list of 5 rheumatology
recommendations has changed their practice or will
in the future, only a fifth responded affirmatively. While this
may seem relatively low, many respondents noted that they
already followed these guidelines and, therefore, had no
changes to make.

Indeed, one commenter remarked that “the Choosing
Wisely rheumatology list is probably more impactful for
trainees and primary care physicians. The questions asking
if I’ve re-evaluated do not reflect my feelings about The
Choosing Wisely Campaign – I think it is great. But, I would
suggest that most rheumatologists should already be doing
those things in the list. The intended audience is important
to consider in this survey.” For those whose practices had
changed, this reflected being more careful about ordering
ANA tests, as discussed in the article by Drs. Averns and
Zeiadin in this issue (see page 26) or click here.

According to survey takers, barriers to implementation
could include fear of missing a diagnosis and patient demands,
though most commented that they already implemented
the Choosing Wisely recommendations and that
there were no barriers for them.

With that being said, nearly 80% of survey respondents
weren’t aware of patient information resources from Choosing
Wisely Canada, and almost one-third were interested in
learning more about this initiative. These patient resources
can be found at choosingwiselycanada.org/resources/ and focus
mainly on when to order a bone mineral density test
and when to order biologic therapy.

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The access code to enter this site can be found on page 4 of the most recent issue of The Journal of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRAJ) or at the top of the most recent CRAJ email blast you received. You can also obtain the access code by sending an email to CRAJwebmaster@sta.ca.